Energy

Availability of reliable, low-cost energy is the cornerstone of economic development and is a primary limiting factor for many developing countries. We share knowledge on an energy sector which is undergoing massive change with new technologies that will provide cheaper, more accessible and cleaner energy.

(B)energy, a Social Business that provides access to biogas, is a clean leap that has embraced change through an innovative, entrepreneurial, technical, and ecological approach. According to Katrin, the best way to bring change in a developing or poor country is through social change. (B)energy came into existence with the intention of solving energy problems in developing countries, and in the process offering people a chance to make a living as they conserved the environment.

Meet Africa's first playground lit by means of power generated from footfall kinetic energy. In other words, when players, runners or other people step on the tiles installed on the ground, electricity is generated and it is used to light up the field. It means that the more players hustle for the goals, the brighter the light shines inside the pitch.

Production of electricity from waste has the potential of providing up to 83.8 TeraWatt hours, which is about 20% of the electricity needed in Africa by 2025. This is according to a study co-authored by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. However, this requires stringent waste management policies to be put in place, and today Africa lacks the adequate infrastructure needed to install these environmentally friendly methods.

WWF International and Cleantech Group partnered to release the second report, in a biennial series, on where the likely leading entrepreneurs in clean technology will emerge from over the next 10 years. The report is a ranking of each countries inputs into innovation, such as investment by governments and the outputs of innovation such as the commercialization of new clean technology. The report uses interesting metrics to map out the growth cycle of a clean tech startup for each country.

It’s been 21 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, such devastating tragedy there are always losses in most areas of a country life. One of the biggest issues was that there were almost 100,000 prisoners in prisons who were all waiting for their trials. There have been a lot of environmental issues related to the prisons’, one being that the wood from neighboring forests was used for cooking to feed the prisoners, which was accelerating deforestation until the time Rwanda Correctional Service started using biogas.

Less than 2 per cent of the Kenya's agriculture is irrigated, largely due to the prohibitive cost of equipment and diesel. This leaves farmers extremely vulnerable to drought and puts the country’s food security at great risk. The Sunflower water pump hits all the right environmental notes - running on clean and renewable energy. It retails at around USD 400 which, in comparison to its diesel-fuelled counterparts - costing roughly USD 2,800 - is a near night and day difference. Furthermore, as there are no fuel costs, the initial investment can be recouped in 1-2 years. As such, Sunflower presents a compelling economic case.

Keith White is the founder and CEO of Ambient Water, an atmospheric water generation technology company providing solutions that produce water from the humidity in the air. Its flagship systems include the Ambient Water 400, which is capable of producing up to 1,500 liters of clean water per day. Angela McClowry from Cleanleap, recently interviewed Keith to discuss atmospheric water generation and its role in a cleanleap.

Conversion of sun energy into an electric current is one thing, getting your factory equipment to use that power is another. As larger firms continue to accept solar power alternatives, they will need to consider equipment that can generate enough clean power for heavy machinery. To support industrial activity, solar power outputs will need to align to expectations of supporting current industrial machine use which often uses 3-phase A.C power.

A common characteristic of informal settlements in Cameroon is the lack of indoor lighting during the day. To carry out any productive activities, households have to turn on the lights – for those who can afford electricity - or use kerosene lamps or candles adding to their electricity consumption and accompanying energy-related expenses as well as indoor air pollution. This gadget is an innovative passive lighting technology based on a transparent plastic bottle filled with clean water. It is fitted into the corrugated iron roofs of houses without ceilings.

Garden City Mall, Nairobi Kenya opened in September, and sports the largest solar carport in Africa, a move that will assist in reaching the country's goal of cutting carbon emissions by around 745 tonnes annually. This solar carport will use "dual-mode" technology which is a highly innovative energy solution that provides solar energy during the day with the result that less is used from the grid; and when the grid is down the system also reduces the consumption of costly diesel back up and enabling significant cost savings.